MI Malta

Placement organization

Name of organization: MI Malta
Town/city: Mosta
Country: Malta
Website: https://mimalta.com/

Student

Name of student: Kamelia Simeonova

Specialist area: Tourism Management (EN)
Placement period: 2019-2020

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Destination Management Company
Organization’s activities: MI Malta is a company that is involved in the MICE industry and is mostly focused on B2B activities. They organize incentive events for big and small groups but they are also involved with leisure trips and outbound tourism.
Target group of the organization: Incentive travellers and some leisure
Company culture: Very open culture. People at MI Malta see each other as family members or very close friends rather than colleagues.
Number of employees: 11
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

There are no fixed departments in the company because everyone can do a little bit of everything, so I was flexible.

Brief description of your daily activities:
– Assistance with requests – creating proposals for clients in the form of a Powerpoint presentation
– General administration – binding, laminating, filling in cheques
– Basic accounting – calculating commissions, matching cheques to invoices, putting invoices in order
– Destination research – finding suitable accommodation and dining options, nightclubs and event venues and preparing Powerpoint presentations with photos and short descriptions.

Brief description of your company assignment: How can MI Malta be more consistent with their online marketing activities to make their digital image more attractive to existing and new partners? Adding up to a content plan with regards to their website and social media.

Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Not good, not bad. I often had to ask for something multiple times and always had to wait for a response. The company has a lot to improve on this, mostly due to the fact that there is not a designated person that is there to supervise. Everyone is busy with their own set of responsibilities.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent player, for sure, because most of the time one has to orient themselves alone. For the organization of events, definitely a team player, because the work evolves around communication. Also, somebody that does not shy away from asking questions and speaking up.
Additional company requirements for this placement? Fluency in English (Italian or Spanish is a big plus). MS Office proficiency.
English: Advanced

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? I arranged it myself through many of the Facebook groups. I used the services of Island Properties.
How did you go to work every day? I travelled by bus every day. Buses in Malta are never on time, sometimes they even don’t come but there are many options and connections from A to B. There is a public transport card which can be used, called Tallinja Card. It works on the same principle as the Dutch OV-chipkaart.

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents:
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance?

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? No

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 200
Accommodation (monthly): € 500
Local transport (monthly): € 20
General costs of living (monthly): € 250
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? I had no financial compensation. The only thing I got was an occasional free lunch.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I read some things about Malta online and talked to friends that have already been there. I did not do much research beforehand because I wanted to experience the country myself, since I have never been there before the placement.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? If you understand that Maltese are very lenient in a work context and have no expectations, everything is fine.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: 173416@buas.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Just be you. Be active, talk to people and feel free to express your opinion. The team loves feedback and they often think about what you say. Help around, go to different colleagues, see what they are doing and ask questions. No one ever refused to help me.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Travel around the island, there are many spots worth visititng such as the Dingli Cliffs or Gozo, the sister island of Malta. Also, there are tons of entertainment options at Saint Julian’s – Malta’s party area. Overall, Malta has it all, and the weather is amazing.

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